Bid accepted (Ben Whiteman)

[Branton Rover]

Looks inevitable now a bid from PNE has been accepted that Ben is leaving - I personally wish him all the best after all it’s the fans not the players who are wedded to the club & for Ben it’s a job of work & from his perspective he’ll likely double his wage at a club nearer home in the division above where he is currently - its what you might call a no brainier - we are though indeed fortunate to have one of the most astute and tuned in managers who will no doubt have contingency plans ready to action now. With the bid accepted the board clearly thinks they can utilise the funds all for betterment of the club itself -

[the vicar]

We can’t do anything other than wish him all the best, he has served us well he has entertained us all, and you can’t blame him foe wanting to better himself.  If I say one thing about him is, I think by leaving is if he had left if and after we go up he would have had a better bargaining tool as we would as a club

[adamtherover]

Are we taking football click bait sites as gospel about if a bid has been accepted?

[bpoolrover]

Free press

[no eyed deer]

To work closer to home, on more money and play championship football... good luck Ben.

[HomerJSimpson]

Real shame but not a shock. When you also add in the COVID issue then leaving for closer to home, higher division and more wages makes sense. Good luck to him

[mushRTID]

Can’t begrudge him he’s been a class act.
He’s a championship player all day long.
I just feel disappointed he won’t see the season out, we’ve a cracking chance of getting a promotion on his CV and the form he’s in, still believe he’s have even more interest in the summer

[Padge_DRFC]

Cannot blame anyone wanting a pay rise and higher standard of football. Bit of a sour ending refusing to play

[redandwhitearmy]

Cannot blame anyone wanting a pay rise and higher standard of football. Bit of a sour ending refusing to play

Has he actually refused to play though? Or is that just hearsay...

Because things like that can really taint some peoples memories.

[dknward2]

Maybe he didn't refuse to play, maybe DM decided to to not play him incase he got injured and ruined a way to get a player who doesn't want to be here out of the club for the most amount of money possible to reinvest in the club

[PDX_Rover]

It’s not hearsay.

[Dagenham Rover]

Maybe he was still actually recovering from covid     I'm just amazed so many people know the inner workings and the "truth"  even if there is 10 thousand versions of the truth

[Draytonian III]

It’s not hearsay.

And you know how ?

[Bentley Bullet]

From a perspective point of view, we've lost better players over the last dozen or so years and survived.

[since-1969]

It’s onwards and upwards .

[PDX_Rover]

It’s not hearsay.

And you know how ?

I heard it from someone who never lets me down and has been spot on in the 15 or so years I’ve known them. I’m guessing it will all come out in the coming days.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

It’s not hearsay.

And you know how ?

I heard it from someone who never lets me down and has been spot on in the 15 or so years I’ve known them. I’m guessing it will all come out in the coming days.

Whether true or not, these things are not helpful as it taints what has been a good period with Ben at the club and I'm sure we've all enjoyed watching him develop. I'm certainly not going to let it matter and I wish him all the best too.

Given all the sh*te we've been through in the last 12 months, this is a small ripple in a big pond and we all need to move on to better times ahead. Just being able to get back to the Keepmoat safely is the main prize.

[PDX_Rover]

It’s not hearsay.

And you know how ?

I heard it from someone who never lets me down and has been spot on in the 15 or so years I’ve known them. I’m guessing it will all come out in the coming days.

Whether true or not, these things are not helpful as it taints what has been a good period with Ben at the club and I'm sure we've all enjoyed watching him develop. I'm certainly not going to let it matter and I wish him all the best too.

Given all the sh*te we've been through in the last 12 months, this is a small ripple in a big pond and we all need to move on to better times ahead. Just being able to get back to the Keepmoat safely is the main prize.

Agree 100%. It’s just a shame he couldn't / wouldn’t see the season out.

[BillyStubbsTears]

As I've posted before, it was clear as day that Whiteman accepted us not selling him in September through gritted teeth.

He's put in some excellent performances since which is a testament to his professionalism.

But you know how this works.

If he's determined to leave, then f**k him. He's yesterday's news.

We move on.

[bobbymax]

Good luck Ben!
I'm not sure that Preston is the right fit but time will tell. We move on with a few quid in the bank and more financial certainty that many lower-league clubs. While it's a blow, I would be amazed if contingency plans hadn't been discussed at length.

[Campsall rover]

Very disappointed to lose him mid season.
I really did think he would stay until the summer.

Can’t blame him i suppose if he is doubling or even trebling his wages.
Football is a relatively short career.

We move on without him and i trust DM will have a replacement lined up.
Just hope this does not affect our momentum with our promotion ambition.

[silent majority]

Looks inevitable now a bid from PNE has been accepted that Ben is leaving - I personally wish him all the best after all it’s the fans not the players who are wedded to the club & for Ben it’s a job of work & from his perspective he’ll likely double his wage at a club nearer home in the division above where he is currently - its what you might call a no brainier - we are though indeed fortunate to have one of the most astute and tuned in managers who will no doubt have contingency plans ready to action now. With the bid accepted the board clearly thinks they can utilise the funds all for betterment of the club itself -

And that's exactly how we should look at it.

We must remember that Ben has been looked at by other clubs for the last 3 transfer windows, there's only so much loyalty that both club and player can employ when we're holding back somebody's career.

My understanding is that Adam Henshall has a considerable list of replacements, and rather than expecting one big name player we may be looking at a couple of players to bolster the squad.

We need to trust the process, its worked very well for us the last couple of seasons and there's no reason to suggest it won't work now.

[Bezza]

Good luck Ben, you've done a good job for Doncaster Rovers,

[Alan Southstand]

Martin, I think most people can endorse Ben’s move and fully understand his wishes to be much nearer home. (Nobody knows that better than me, during my working life, I can assure you). I can only speak for myself here, I just can’t get over the timing of it and the disruption it will possibly cause to the squad as a whole. Here we are, in 4th place in the league with games in hand that could take us top, and we have this absolute bombshell. I feel for DM, I really do.

Yes, we may have contingencies in place, (and why wouldn’t we?) but we seem to be underestimating what the potential impact is going to have on us, going forward. I sincerely hope there’s better news around the corner because this turn of events is very, very disappointing.

[POD]

We are fortunate that BW signed a new contract when he did.   Many players in his position would have wound their current contract down and moved on a ‘free’.

[Canadian Rover]

Ben has been great for us. The way I look at it though is a million pounds plus profit right now helps keep our club going during horrible times.

[bobjimwilly]

if he was sold for more than £1.5 million as rumoured, where does that rank Ben it terms of highest price paid for a Rovers player?

[EasyforDennis]

I am sure contingency plans are in place. It should come as no surprise to anyone that this could happen in this transfer window. Good luck Ben.

[Dutch Uncle]

BJW, Without being certain, some figures bandied about suggest:

Matt Mills 2M
Billy Sharp 1.85M
John Marquis 1.8M
Richie Wellens 1.2M

Others may have better information

[deebee]

We have to accept that this is football players come and go Ben could have broken his leg and ended his career but we carry on. At least this way we have money in the kitty and a team to support. Thanks, a lot Ben and all the best. Now looking forward to welcoming our next hero.